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Primary sourceArtifact1860

The Rail Candidate

Louis Maurer for Currier & Ives · 1860

An 1860 political cartoon mocking Lincoln as the 'rail-splitter' candidate, showing how opponents caricatured him during the election.

A campaign cartoon showing how Lincoln's rail-splitter image was mocked by his political opponents.

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A 19th-century print showing Abraham Lincoln being carried on a fence rail labeled 'Republican Platform' by two men, one depicted with a racist caricature.
Louis Maurer for Currier & Ives, The Rail Candidate, 1860. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This is a political cartoon printed by Currier & Ives in 1860, drawn by Louis Maurer. It shows Abraham Lincoln being carried on a fence rail labeled with the Republican platform, alongside a newspaper editor and another man.

Why it matters

During the 1860 election, Lincoln's supporters promoted him as a humble 'rail-splitter' who had worked with his hands. This cartoon, made by opponents, mocks that image and uses racist caricature to attack Lincoln's party and its stance on slavery.

Look closer

  • Who made this image, and what does that tell you about its point of view?
  • What words are put into each figure's mouth, and what do they suggest about the cartoonist's opinion?
  • How does this cartoon use stereotypes, and why is that troubling to look at today?

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